


On his lips

by murphylaw



Category: Naruto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:01:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29611194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murphylaw/pseuds/murphylaw
Summary: Second part of Never fall in love again, but this time from Neji side
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Tenten
Kudos: 6





	On his lips

Neji always thought he would have no life outside of the clan. He believed that his entire history had been written from the time of his birth. He was to live and die for the clan's core. This was the main goal of his life, his and many others before him. Nobody asked him for his opinion. Nobody considered his feelings or opinion. That was the tradition. This is how it supposed to be.  
Neji always thought he would have no life outside of the clan. He became even more convinced of this on the day when a seal was made on his forehead, a sign of his submission. He was still a child, he didn't know much about the world or life, and yet he was given a role that he hadn't asked for. He supposed to fight and die for the family, not because of his own choice, but from a top-down order. His will was restrained, his choice was taken away. He couldn't argue, he couldn't rebel. On the day he was sealed, his life ceased to belong to him.  
Neji always thought he would have no life outside of the clan. Even on the day he hated his family with all his heart, he couldn't walk away and say no. On the day of his father's death, when his whole world fell, his right to rebel was taken from him. He had to accept a decision he didn't understand. He had to live with a pain he couldn't relieve.It was a decision he couldn't accept to sacrifice a person he loved so much for the good of the clan. He transformed all the love he had for his father into hate for the people who took him away.  
Neji always thought that he would have no life outside of the clan, and each day, when he was looking at himself, those thoughts grew stronger. Every morning, when he put the protector on his forehead, he saw a seal that commanded him to obey. He hated to look at himself. He hated to look at the green marks burned into his skin that kept him from any rebellion.  
Neji always thought that his skills would be used in the defense of the clan's main family. From an early age at the academy, he was considered a genius. Each of his movements, each new technique was carefully rehearsed. He trained with all his might. Every day he gave his best because the trainings filled him with joy. He had control over what he did, how much of himself he gave. The training sessions were his moments of freedom, although he knew deep down that he wasn't fighting for himself. He had to become the best he could to defend those family members who were unable to protect themselves.   
Neji always believed he was born a genius. His skills were above average. He even stood out among the members of his own clan. Though he came only from a side branch, he was superior to those he supposed to die for. It is the core that should be strong, so why did he gain skills that the elite could not. He would like to say that it did not satisfy him, but he would be lying. He was proud of how strong he had become. He wanted to make people jealous for whom he was worthless.  
Neji always believed that he would not have a life outside of the clan, so he never paid much attention to other people. When he started attending academy, it was his skill that mattered the most, not making friends. He supposed to become the best to prove that he can''t fool the destiny. He was born to fight, not to love. It was obvious to him that the classes were only an opportunity for training, not for conversations or games. His connections were purely practical, not friendly. It didn't make sense for him to have friends since he couldn't fight for them anyway.  
Neji always believed that everyone was doomed to their fate in advance, which is why he didn't understand the members of the team he belonged . Average, unremarkable in any aspect, yet motivated to change their fate. For him, they were just naive, pathetic children who didnt know the true rules of the world. A boy who could not use ninjutsu, and yet he trained beyond his own strength to make his dreams come true. And the girl, this completely ordinary girl. It was something about her that Neji didn't understand.  
Neji had always believed that the main family of Hyuga clan was responsible for his fate. Over the years he had accumulated hatred for his own family. Darkness and pain grew within him, which he couldn't release it. He was angry, he was pissed.The anger he felt was burning him from within. Day after day, he plunged more and more into the abyss of despair caused by his doomed fate. He had no hope for a change. He didn't believe that the rules of the world he was dragged into by force would ever change.  
Neji always believed that the main family of Hyuga clan was responsible for his fate, so fighting with a person who was the embodiment of everything he hated was for him an expression of opposition. He wanted to kill her. It supposed to be his act of rebellion against the role that was assigned to him. The role he played in this fight was in complete opposition to what he should be. He was supposed to be a protector, not an avenger. He should die for the clone's core, not to murder its members. She became the epicenter of his hatred, though he had nothing to blame her for. She was just a victim like him.  
Neji always believed that he was born a genius, so winning a fight with a weaker member of his own clan was not a surprise to him. On the other hand, he was surprised to lose a fight to someone who had little to offer besides the annoying attitude that his teammates represented. Naruto, Hinata, Lee, Tenten all believed that thanks to determination and hard work, they could change their fate. They had something that Neji didn't have. Hopes for change and strength to implement this change. Unlike him, they did not give up, they did not accept their predetermined losing position. This lost fight became a turning point for him.  
Neji always believed that he was doomed to his fate, so changing his own beliefs was not easy for him. He didn't understand and forgive immediately. Even learning the truth about the fate of his father didn't speed up the process. He needed time for the change to finally come to him. It all started with believing in one person and his world began to grow beyond the realm of hatred. He opened up to people whom he always kept close to, but never noticed. His team, although full of defeat, always determined. He began to look at his teammates differently. No longer with pity, but with admiration for their strength and fighting spirit. He wanted to become like them, gain this hope for change.  
Neji always felt that he would have no life outside of the Hyuga clan, which is why having so many friends was bewildering to him. Not only did he begin to improve relations with his clan members, but he also made friends for whom he was willing to fight. The people who initially bothered him became important to him. His master became a support and motivation for him, his teammate became a rival and friend, and on top of that, there was this brave girl with kunai.  
Neji always believed that he would not have a life outside of the clan, so he never expected to be able to choose whom to love. Though he had her with him from an early age in the academy, it took him years to realize how unique she was to other girls. She was different. She was funny, she was fearless. She became his support at times when he doubted the most. She became his sweet secret, fearing that the piercing eyes of his family would decide to take this choice away from him. She became a breath of freedom for him. A choice he could make. A choice that was only and exclusively his.   
Neji always believed that he would not have a life outside of the clan, so he did not expect to love a girl so ordinary compared to the clan members. It was true only for people who didn't know her. She was amazing. Her determination was unequaled. The fighting strength she possessed was as great as the amount of weapons she kept. She became his signpost at times when he lost his way. She was his light. She was his hope for a change, because only with her he could change the world. He wanted to choose her every time and for the short period of time he could.  
Neji always thought he was going to die for the Hyuga clan, so when the war came, he knew what would happen. Being in charge of his clan on the battlefield prepared him for the possibility of death, though he had so many things for which he wanted to live. In the last moments, Neji was sure of his choice. He didn't want to die of compulsion, so when he could choose he did so. He did not feel any regret dying in defense of the boy who changed his life. He wasn't sad. He wasn't angry. There was no darkness in him. At that moment, his heart was moving in a completely different direction. It rushed towards that brave girl with kunai fighting nearby.  
Neji had always believed that he would have no life outside of the clan, so he never expected to die with his beloved girl's name on his lips.


End file.
